Are there any books or magazines people can recommend to help with gaining knowledge of militaria?
Thanks.
David
Gaining knowledge
Are there any books or magazines people can recommend to help with gaining knowledge of militaria?
Thanks.
David
David,
A very broad topic request.. It would be easier to narrow down your collecting interests and then focus on those areas and the books available. I have approximately 5,000 books in my own reference library on militaria from uniforms to insignia, but I also have reference books on specific badges and awards.
Let us know what your interests are and we can go from there...
Knowledge is Power and also wise when it comes to collecting items that have been faked and reproduced. Once you arm yourself with reference books, continue to gain knowledge from other members. There are some of the most vetted and knowledgeable individuals on this forum that specialize in just about every aspect of militaria collecting.
I have never met an "Expert" in anything and I try to use that term very lightly. I do know some very knowledgeable and credible individuals whose experience in their given field puts them on a higher pedestal, and I learn something new every day...
You are moving in the right direction.. Ask questions and gain knowledge prior to investing in an expensive mistake. The money I spent in purchasing books has come full circle and has kept me from purchasing some very high quality reproductions, BUT nothing is better than getting an item vetted from our members here..
Happy Collecting..
Smitty
Hi Smitty
I don't have a specific area, it is more of if I see something that appeals to me. Maybe in that case internet research and this forum might be better.
David
David,
There are some broad topic "Table top" books that you can look at that gives you a variety of collecting areas. They won't really give you much on the variations, but they are nice to have. Here are a few examples that you may be able to find..
Some of these books are considered "Low entry" or Beginner level collector books, but again they can arm you with knowledge..
Smitty
P.S..
Shop around for some of these books, you may find (and will find) cheaper prices for some that are listed on AMAZON. Others are pricey because they are out of print..
Collecting Reference Books is also an area of militaria collecting...
Military Antiques and Collectables of the Great War. Ottawa: Service Publications, ISBN 1894581423, 2007. 1st and only edition
Third Reich Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide by Chris William
Collecting Military Antiques by Frederick Wilkinson
Warman's World War II Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide: John Adams-Graf:
GI Collector's Guide, Vol. 2: U.S. Army European Theater of Operations: Henri-Paul Enjames:
GI Collector's Guide: Army Service Forces Catalog, U.S. Army European Theater of Operations: Henry-Paul Enjames:
Military Collectables by Joe Lyndhurst (This is a great book with some very good pictures) The British Cap Badge section is very good.
Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Uniforms and Equipment Book with Translation
Vietnam War Collectibles - Identification and Price Guide by David Doyle
Allies in Battledress From Normandy to the North Sea 1944-45
Buying and Selling Wartime Collectables by Arthur Ward
Some more reference books for you to look through..
Smitty
Last edited by Rakkasan187; 04-03-2018 at 01:57 AM.
It can be a very challenging thing, gaining knowledge with no real focus. I collect a little bit of everything myself, buying whatever happens to take my fancy at any given time. I tend to absorb information fairly randomly, and from a multitude of sources. Everything from Wikipedia articles and YouTube videos to books concerning military history. I don't have much of a physical reference library, as I have access to the internet and all the knowledge it holds.
Seriously. In this day and age, we are blessed to have the internet. It has made things far, far easier for newer collectors and seasoned ones alike. Not only because of places like this forum, but due to the sheer amount of information that can be dug out of it. If you need to know something, a quick trip to Google puts a vast library of knowledge at your fingertips. Of course, many sources will be far from reliable. But that's the beauty of it. You have countless references and sources which you can crosscheck and measure up. Not to rubbish physical reference books, of course. But for a collector who hasn't yet found their focus, or doesn't intend to find one, investing in a reference library can be expensive and oftentimes fruitless.
Just learning about the conflict as a whole can make things easier to grasp. Understanding the broader context of it all really does help. A 'top-down' view, so to speak. I'd recommend any book written by Antony Beevor, as they're written in a way that makes them read like any other storybook. There are probably other authors that I've yet to discover, but I've found his work to be very enjoyable and easy to digest. They won't give you detailed information on fake militaria, but knowing the chronology and nature of the conflict can make it easier to pick out fakes in some circumstances, and will fuel your passion for history. At least, they do for me.
Ramble over,
B.B.
Thanks for the book recommendations and general advice. It is possible I will narrow down what I like, although have already noticed that some things I have disregarded like photographs and badges will be worth a closer look.
by Rakkasan187
David,
There are some broad topic "Table top" books that you can look at that gives you a variety of collecting areas. They won't really give you much on the variations, but they are nice to have. Here are a few examples that you may be able to find..
Some of these books are considered "Low entry" or Beginner level collector books, but again they can arm you with knowledge..
Smitty
P.S..
Shop around for some of these books, you may find (and will find) cheaper prices for some that are listed on AMAZON. Others are pricey because they are out of print..
Collecting Reference Books is also an area of militaria collecting...
Military Antiques and Collectables of the Great War. Ottawa: Service Publications, ISBN 1894581423, 2007. 1st and only edition
Third Reich Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide by Chris William
Collecting Military Antiques by Frederick Wilkinson
Warman's World War II Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide: John Adams-Graf:
GI Collector's Guide, Vol. 2: U.S. Army European Theater of Operations: Henri-Paul Enjames:
GI Collector's Guide: Army Service Forces Catalog, U.S. Army European Theater of Operations: Henry-Paul Enjames:
Military Collectables by Joe Lyndhurst (This is a great book with some very good pictures) The British Cap Badge section is very good.
Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Uniforms and Equipment Book with Translation
Vietnam War Collectibles - Identification and Price Guide by David Doyle
Allies in Battledress From Normandy to the North Sea 1944-45
Buying and Selling Wartime Collectables by Arthur Ward
Some more reference books for you to look through..
Smitty
This is a very fine list, indeed, and offered by one of our finest persons here.
The measure of all things are the books from the Militaria Verlag Rest in Vienna and Munich, which mostly treat things up until 1933 or so,
but which are the very finest books on militaria bar none. The Schiffer books appeal to a lot of people, but
they are iffy as to their editorial process.
About us
Verlag Militaria was founded in 2002 and publishes military historical books and illustrated works. Over the past years a special focus has been placed on the most varied military historical subjects from the time of the First World War. The illustrated books fulfill two tasks: providing expert and substantiated historical information, detailed photographs of historical artefacts and contemporary black and white photographs. These illustrated books are not only appreciated by historians and those interested in history, but also by private collectors who gain a systematic and detailed overview of a specific subject of the age concerned. The majority of the books published by Verlag Militaria have been produced in cooperation with renowned state museums and private collections.
Due to increasing popularity of our products there have been many requests from clients in the United States to offer the full line of Verlag Militaria books with direct shipping from the United States. As a result, Verlag Militaria is proud to announce a partnership with Imperial & Royal Books, offering faster and more economical USA domestic shipping and a new website link specifically tailored to our USA customers.
Verlag Militaria GmbH
Geschäftsführer: Stefan Rest
Ramperstorffergasse 2/11
1050 Wien
AUSTRIA
Tel.: +43-(0)664/451 67 57
Fax: +43-(0)1/545 78 93
E-Mail: office@verlag-militaria.at
Internet: Unbenanntes Dokument
UID./VAT-Nr.: ATU 6672152
They publish is English, as well.
My young English friend is wise for his years, to be sure. The thing about context is also central.
That is, you need to know events, but also organization, and so forth.
The process by which a beginner learns interests me a lot, because I teach history at a fairly advanced level to professionals.
I would also avoid collecting things that are heavily faked. This is a challenge, because I collect things that are heavily faked,
but I have spent more than 50 years noodling it all out.
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